Light and Shadow
by YinYangWriter
Summary: Two new students come to the academy, but something about them is off. Rated T for safety
1. New Students

**All reviews are appreciated. I do not own ****_Code: LYOKO_****. The two new characters in this story, Eva and Kayla, are mine. Feedback is welcome.**

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Ulrich looked over at Odd. He was sleeping through Mrs. Hertz science lesson again. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the blackboard. Someone had to take notes on the table of elements. Aelita and Jeremy may have been in the same class, but they could easily remember all this stuff.

There was a knock on the classroom door. Mr. Delmas came in with a student they never saw before. She had choppy brown hair, its length varying from shoulder to chin and brown eyes that had dark circles around them. She wore a pair of dark jeans and a black T-shirt that was two sizes too big for her, the front of which was shoved into her waistband, revealing a large belt buckle with a bird on it. At first, some of the students thought she was a boy.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Hertz," said Mr. Delmas. "You have a new student."

"Ah, yes." Mrs. Hertz looked at her seating chart. "Yes, Eva Maverick, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am," the girl replied in a rough voice.

"You may take a seat behind Mr. Della Robbia," said Mrs. Hertz. She looked back at Odd. "That is if Mr. Della Robbia would like to join us."

Ulrich jabbed Odd in the side. "Odd! Wake up!"

"Huh? Wha?" Odd yawned. "Class over already?"

"No wonder you are failing my class, Odd," said Mrs. Hertz. "If you would stay awake, you would understand this. Eva, take your seat."

Eva walked past Odd and Ulrich, taking the seat that Mrs. Hertz indicated.

The rest of the class went smoothly. Mrs. Hertz checked on Eva every few minutes to see how she was doing, asking her if her old school ever taught her the lesson. Eva even surprised Mrs. Hertz, as well as the rest of the class, when Mrs. Hertz asked one of her impossible questions.

"What are the nine elements that use the Latin atomic symbols?" Mrs. Hertz asked.

Jeremy, Aelita, and Herb put their hands up. But there was another hand raised that no one else but Mrs. Hertz noticed.

"Eva, do you know?" Mrs. Hertz asked.

"Yes, ma'am," she said. "The nine elements are sodium, potassium, iron, copper, silver, tin, gold, mercury, and lead. Their Latin names are natrium, kalium, ferrum, cuprum, argentum, stannum, aurum, hydragyrum, and plumbum."

Mrs. Hertz stared at Eva. Eva looked back at her. Everyone was turned around in their seats, watching Eva.

"Is that right?" Eva asked.

Mrs. Hertz grabbed her textbook and looked up the Latin names of the nine elements. At the same time, Jeremy and Aelita exchanged glances. Herb was skimming his own textbook to see if Eva was right as well. Finally Mrs. Hertz looked at Eva.

"Is that correct, ma'am?" asked Eva. "Natrium, kalium, ferrum, cuprum, argentum, stannum, aurum, hydragyrum, and plumbum?"

Mrs. Hertz looked down again to check. "It is. It is correct."

"Whoa," breathed Ulrich.

"Mr. and Mrs. Einstein are going to have some competition," whispered Odd.

"Eva, where did you go to school?" asked Mrs. Hertz.

"East St. Yves de Villefort," Eva replied.

"That's a good school," said Mrs. Hertz. "I know one of the teachers there."

The bell rang and class was dismissed. Ulrich, Odd, Jeremy, and Aelita watched Eva meet up with another girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a teal shirt, a black pencil skirt, blue leggings, and boots.

"Hey, guys," said Yumi.

"Hey, Yumi," said Ulrich.

"What a class we had!" said Odd. "The new girl stunned us all by answering Mrs. Hertz impossible question."

"She did more than that," said Jeremy. "She answered the question with the common and Latin names."

"I wonder who her friend is," said Odd. "She's cute."

"Kayla Olson," Yumi told them. "She transferred here from East St. Yves de Villefort."

"So did Eva," said Jeremy.

"Who?" asked Yumi.

"Eva Maverick," Ulrich answered. "The new girl in our class."

"At least they know someone here," said Aelita.

"Looks like both of them are smart," said Yumi. "Kayla is in your year, but she's taking my math class. And you said that Eva answered the impossible question."

"Can we get going?" whined Odd. "I want lunch."

The five of them went to the cafeteria and got their food. They saw Kayla looking for a place to sit.

"Well, there's Kayla," said Yumi.

"But where's Eva?" asked Jeremy.

They searched the cafeteria, but couldn't find her.

"There she is," said Aelita. "She's standing beside Kayla."

"I never saw her," said Yumi.

"Was she standing there the whole time?" asked Ulrich.

"Hey!" yelled Odd over the cafeteria clamor. He stood on his chair and waved his arms over his head. "Eva! Kayla! Come sit with us!"

The girls looked at each other and Eva led the way to the table.

"Hi, Yumi!" chirped Kayla.

"Hey," said Yumi.

The others turned to Eva.

"It's Eva, right?" asked Odd. "I'm Odd. This is Ulrich, Jeremy, Aelita, and Yumi."

Eva nodded, but didn't say anything.

Kayla and Eva sat down at the table. Kayla took a seat next to Yumi and Eva sat beside Odd.

"So are you going to be staying in the dorms?" asked Ulrich.

"No, I'm not," said Kayla. "I don't live too far from here. I can walk to school every day."

"I'm staying in the dorms," said Eva.

"You'll be on the second floor," said Aelita.

"The boys' dorm is on the third floor," said Ulrich.

"You're welcome to come up," said Odd. "Just don't let Jim catch you."

"Who's Jim?" asked Eva.

Odd turned and pointed to Jim, who was keeping an eye on the cafeteria.

"That's Jim," said Odd. "He's the gym teacher."

"Oh! I don't think I want to cross him," Kayla said, looking at the gym teacher.

"Don't worry," said Yumi. "He looks scary, but his bark's worse than his bite."

Eva's eyes narrowed at the gym teacher.

There was a crash in the kitchen. Eva jumped out of her seat and began searching for the origin of the sound.

"It's okay." Kayla grabbed Eva's wrist. "Eva, it's okay. Sit down."

Eva slowly returned to her seat and finished her lunch.

"Uh," Odd started to say.

"It's first day of school jitters," explained Kayla with a smile. "She gets like this."

"What class do you have after this?" asked Aelita.

"I have history," said Kayla.

"Tenth grade language arts," said Eva.

"Tenth?" Yumi asked. "That's my class. How did you get into that class?"

"It's the middle of the year," said Eva with a shrug. "They probably didn't have room in the other classes."

"Just tell them, Eva," said Kayla. She turned to the others. "Eva is on a higher level in language arts and history than other students our age. It's the same for me, but with math and science."

"Good luck," Yumi said to Eva. "We're learning poetry. The teacher is not impressed at all with any of us. I managed to get by yesterday, but we're supposed to write our own compositions."

Kayla snorted.

"What?" asked Yumi.

"You'll see," said Kayla.

Eva followed Yumi to their next class. Eva sat beside Yumi and pulled out a notebook.

"All right," said the teacher. "You will compose your own poems this class period. The last half hour of class will be devoted to reading your poems in front of everyone."

Everyone groaned.

Eva put her hand up.

"Yes? You have a question?"

"Do we have a specific topic that we need to base our poems on?" Eva asked. "A certain style?"

"It can be on anything you like," said the teacher. "Just no free-verse."

"Is there a certain length?" Eva asked.

"Ten lines minimum," said the teacher.

There was a collective groan from the class.

"Nice going," hissed Yumi.

"I'll help you with yours," said Eva.

Yumi wasn't sure what to write about. She finally decided on writing about her family. Yumi looked over at Eva and saw her writing feverishly.

"All right," said the teacher when time was up. "Who would like to read first? Any volunteers?"

No one put their hands up.

"Then I'll just pick someone. How about you?" The teacher turned to Eva.

Eva slowly got up and walked to the front of the room with her paper in hand.

"Two countries at war, two leaders tired,

"Look at their world, at the pain they sired.

"Both remember all those bitter years,

"Filled with hatred, bloodshed, and many tears.

"They stare at their lands and reminisce,

"Of times of their youth and innocence.

"They wonder what color their souls are stained,

"Noble blue, blood red; they know no white remains.

"Neither leader can see peace anymore,

"Only wish that their children's children will not see this war."

Eva sat down.

"That was good," said Yumi.

"Not really," said Eva.

"It's better than mine," said Yumi.

"Following Eva's example," said the teacher, "I would like all of you to write a poem a minimum of ten lines focused on something of your everyday lives."

Class let out and Eva headed off to gym with Kayla. They were joined by Odd and Ulrich. Kayla noticed that Jeremy was sitting on the bleachers.

"Why doesn't he participate?" asked Eva.

"Note from the doctor," said Odd.

"Is he sick?" asked Kayla.

"No," said Odd. He lowered his voice. "Can you keep a secret? I know you'll hear the rumor eventually."

"Yes," said Kayla.

"It's a forged note," Odd whispered in her ear. He put his arm around Kayla's shoulder only to have Eva grab his wrist. Odd was surprised; he never saw Eva come up beside them.

"Remove the arm," Eva said coldly.

"Now, Eva, there's no reason to be rude," said Kayla.

"I know a flirt when I see one," said Eva, glaring at Odd.

"She's got you pegged," said Ulrich with a chuckle.

"Let's go!" hollered Jim. "Start by running around the track for warmups."

"Running," muttered Kayla, adjusting her gym shorts. "Joy."

Jim ran in front of the students, shouting over his shoulder at them.

"He sure likes to talk," Kayla said to Odd.

"Yeah," replied Odd. "He says all sorts of stuff, like he was in the Olympics and things like that."

"Is it true?" asked Kayla.

"Maybe, maybe not," said Odd. "He always says that he doesn't want to talk about it."

Eva jogged quietly beside Kayla. Ulrich was on her opposite side. She looked very unhappy with jogging the track.

"What?" asked Ulrich. "Hate running?"

"No," replied Eva. "I'm bored."

Kayla looked at Eva. "Eva, don't so anything stupid," she warned.

"I'm not," said Eva. "I'm just going to shut him up."

With that, Eva began sprinting, passing everyone ahead of her and blowing by Jim.

"Hey you!" Jim shouted.

"Forget it, sir!" called Kayla. "Once she starts, there's no stopping her."

Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremy watched Eva sprint around the track and catch up with the slower kids. Eventually she caught up to Kayla, Odd, and Ulrich, passed them, and jogged next to Jim.

"I'm guessing you were on the track team at your other school," said Jim.

"No," replied Eva. "I just like to run."

"Have you thought about joining the track team?" asked Jim.

"I rather not," replied Eva. "Sports aren't my thing."

They played soccer for the rest of the period and hit the showers. The girls were impressed with Eva's athleticism and asked to be on her team during recreational time.

"You're making friends quickly," said Kayla.

"No, they just want me around," said Eva. "I know a friend when I see one. And you're one."

Kayla smiled. "I don't have any classes with you for the rest of the day," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You may see me tonight," said Eva.

"Eva, no," said Kayla. "You need to get some sleep."

"I'll be fine," said Eva.

"Okay," said Kayla.

Eva sat with Odd, Ulrich, Jeremy, and Aelita at supper.

"Where's Yumi?" Eva asked.

"She lives in town," said Ulrich.

"Oh," said Eva.

"So what do you think of Kadic so far?" asked Jeremy.

"It's what I expected it to be," said Eva.

"What made you decide to come to Kadic?" asked Aelita.

"Yeah, it's the middle of the year," said Odd. "Why now?"

"I have a scholarship," said Eva. "If I want a chance at my choice of college, I needed to get here as soon as I could."

"And Kayla?" asked Ulrich.

"Kayla's parents were planning on moving anyway," said Eva. "It was just good timing."

Jeremy frowned. He thought it was too coincidental that two friends would come to the school in the middle of the year.

Eva took a bite of her peas and stopped.

"What?" asked Odd. "The food isn't that bad."

Eva swallowed and began to scan the cafeteria. Something was off. There was a line of students waiting for lunch, but there wasn't a sound from the kitchen. After a moment, she saw the cafeteria worker come from the kitchen. Maybe it was nothing. Then she noticed a boy sitting alone. He was older than she was, wearing a green jacket and jeans.

"Who is that?" Eva asked, nodding in his direction.

"That's William Dunbar," said Jeremy.

"He's a little weird," said Ulrich. "You may have seen him in history class."

"Yes, I remember him," said Eva. "He's very quiet."

That night, Eva stayed awake until midnight. She was sure that everyone was asleep at that time. She got out of bed and grabbed her shower things.

In the shower, Eva stood under the hot water and winced. Her shoulder was hurting more than usual. She wondered what the policy of OTC drugs was in this school. Her skin was raw in some places as well.

Eva toweled off and pulled on an oversized T-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, both black. She walked back to her room. Hearing something that she was sure she wasn't supposed to be hearing, Eva froze. It sounded like a television set was on. They weren't allowed to have televisions in their rooms. And it sounded like it was in the hallway.

There was a terrified scream. Eva whirled around, dropped everything, and began running in the direction of it. One of the dorm rooms was opened. Jim was coming out with Aelita kicking and screaming.

Eva ran up and slammed her full weight against Jim, sending all three of them tumbling to the ground. Eva jumped up in time to have Jim's fist come into her field of vision. She ducked and slammed her knee into his stomach.

"Eva!" cried Aelita.

"I knew there was something off about you," Eva said to Jim. "But I didn't think you were such a creep."

"Eva, there's no sense in reasoning with him," Aelita said. "He's lost his mind!"

"I can see that!" snapped Eva.

"It's not like that," Aelita clarified. "He's being controlled!"

Aelita screamed a warning and Eva ducked another punch. Eva ran into Aelita's room and grabbed the desk lamp. Jim followed her into the room. Eva whipped around and struck Jim in the face with the lamp hard enough to make him fall back into the closet.

"Come on!" said Eva.

Eva slammed the door shut and grabbed Aelita by the arm.

"We have to get Jeremy and the others," Aelita said as they ran down the hall.

"Not with Jim on our tail," said Eva. "We have to get to the principal."

"No time," said Aelita. "He wouldn't be able to stop Jim."

"Then what do you suppose we do?" asked Eva.

"Do you have your mobile with you?" asked Aelita.

"No," replied Eva. "It's in my jeans' pocket."

"Let's hope that Jeremy knows that a tower has been activated," said Aelita.

"A what?" asked Eva.

"I have to go," Aelita said.

Eva grabbed Aelita's arm. "Hold up."

Aelita turned to face Eva.

"You know more than you're telling me," Eva said levelly. "You know how to stop this. Jim is after you, okay. I won't let him hurt you. You do what you need to do to stop this. I'll look out for you."

They heard Jim's footsteps coming down the hall. Eva pulled Aelita into the stairwell and hurried down the steps. At the bottom, Eva pushed Aelita against the stairs and pressed her against the wall.

Jim came down the stairs. Aelita shook with fear that they would be found. Jim came closer. Eva covered Aelita's mouth so she wouldn't scream. Jim stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looked around and walked out the door.

"Come on," whispered Eva.

Aelita led the way outside and into the woods behind the school.

"Here," Aelita said, stopping in the middle of the woods.

"What's here?" asked Eva.

Aelita reached down and opened the manhole cover.

"Follow me," said Aelita, climbing down the ladder.

Eva climbed down, pulling the manhole cover back into place. She quickly found herself in the sewer. Aelita grabbed a scooter leaning against the wall next to the ladder.

"Can you ride a skateboard?" she asked, pointing out the three boards next to the scooters.

"No problem," said Eva. "Let's go!"

Eva followed Aelita down the passages of the sewer. As dark as it was, Aelita knew where she was going without the aid of any light.

"This is it," said Aelita.

Eva hopped off the skateboard. Aelita climbed the ladder they stopped at and opened the hatch. Eva came up behind her. What she saw when she emerged from the sewer surprised her.

"A factory?" she asked Aelita.

"You'll see," Aelita replied. "It's not just a factory."

Aelita ran inside and slid down the rope. Eva followed and they got in the elevator. Aelita hit the down button and the elevator began to move.

"Can I trust you?" Aelita asked.

Eva looked at her, barely turning her head. "I trust you," she said.

"That doesn't answer my question," said Aelita.

Eva gave a soft laugh. "I believe that trust is mutual," she said. "Right now, my life is in your hands."

"I don't understand," said Aelita.

"It means if Jim comes after us, I will fight," said Eva. She drew an X with her finger over her heart. "You can trust me."

"Good," said Aelita.

The elevator had come to a stop while they were talking. Aelita punched in a code on the keypad and the door opened.

Eva's eyes widened at the sight of the supercomputer.

Aelita hopped into the chair, turned on the supercomputer, and put on the headset. Eva hurried off the elevator and walked over to the chair.

"What is all this?" she asked.

"I'll tell you in a minute," said Aelita, pulling up a window that said phonebook. She clicked on Jeremy's number. "Answer. Answer."

The busy signal rang in her earpiece.

"Ulrich," she muttered, clicking on his number.

Busy signal.

"Odd," she said, a bit more frantic. "Pick up!"

Busy signal.

"Yumi."

Aelita prayed that Yumi would pick up her mobile.

Busy signal.

"No!" cried Aelita. "I can't get a hold of anyone."

"Try Kayla," said Eva.

Eva gave Aelita Kayla's number.

Busy signal.

"XANA must have taken out the phone towers," Aelita said. "I guess I'm on my own."

Aelita clicked on another window. The warning alarm beeped in her ear and several red lights flashed in the window. There were four tarantulas guarding an activated tower.

"Why would XANA do this?" Then she groaned. "To lure me out. As soon I get there, the Scyphozoa will get me."

"I'll protect you," said Eva.

Aelita turned around in the chair to look at Eva. She wasn't the least bit afraid, at least that was what Aelita thought.

"This isn't a game, Eva," said Aelita.

"I know," said Eva in a level voice.

Aelita shook her head. "I can't," she said. "I can't take you with me. If I do, we won't be able to erase your memory with a return to the past. And we already lost William. We can't lose another."

"William?" Eva asked. "You mean William Dunbar, the quiet kid in my history class?"

"That's not really William," said Aelita. "He's not even human. William joined up with us not too long ago. He wasn't careful and XANA took him away from us. Jeremy managed to make a specter clone, but it's not perfect. It can function like a normal person, but it doesn't have William's memories or personality. We did what we could to make him like William, but we told everyone that William got sick and it caused brain damage."

Aelita shook her head again. "I can't do that," she insisted. "Not after William. And I would be betraying everyone else."

"Not to sound pessimistic, but I think they may need our help right now," said Eva.

"What?" asked Aelita.

"Boy, you may have good grades, but no sense," said Eva with a frown. "If this XANA knocked out all the cellphone towers so we couldn't call anyone and possessed Jim, I'm pretty sure that they're in trouble."

"Oh, no!" gasped Aelita. She turned back to the screen. "Even with a return to the past, we can't bring back anyone who dies!"

Aelita typed in the automated virtualization program and ran back into the elevator with Eva on her heels.

"When we get down there, get into one of the scanners immediately," Aelita told Eva. "You can gawk later."

Eva nodded.

The elevator door opened and they went right to the scanners. Eva stepped in and turned around. Across the room, she saw Aelita smiling from her scanner.

"Just relax," said Aelita. "It helps if you close your eyes. Just be ready for the drop."

Before Eva could ask "What drop?" the scanner doors closed. She could hear the machine whirling. Taking Aelita's advice, Eva closed her eyes.

Eva was falling! She braced herself for impact and landed hard on her hands and knees. She took in her surroundings: a desert wasteland with a tower in the distance with a red glow.

"Welcome to LYOKO," said Aelita.

Eva turned to her and gaped. Aelita, who had been wearing a nightshirt up until now, was wearing a jumpsuit in pink and fuchsia with silver stripes and a partial miniskirt of wire and sheer fabric. Her long gloves were violet-red and on her right wrist was a star bracelet. Her ears were pointed and she had a silver earring that had a small pink orb dangling down. There were thick, pink lines extending from her cheeks to her jaw line.

Aelita smiled. "Our LYOKO forms depend on our personalities and our abilities on Earth," she explained. Aelita looked Eva up and down. "Yours is interesting to say the least."

Eva was dressed in a dark blue and black jumpsuit. She wore armor on her forearms made of black metal and shoulder armor with reliefs of skulls. Her knuckles had the same black metal in the shape of diamond studs and she had knee pads and elbow pads also in black armor. A black band came around her chest and in the center was a small Moline cross medallion with a dark red center stitched into the fabric. She had a black belt around her waist and her boots were also black. Her face was the only place where there was bare skin. It was deathly pale except for the charcoal color around her eyes and on her cheeks and lips. Her eyes themselves were completely white, the iris and pupil only outlined with a light gray color. Instead of brown, Eva's hair was now jet black with the front section the same dark blue as her suit.

"No weapons," Eva said flatly. She looked at Aelita. "You don't have any either."

"I manage without," said Aelita. "Since you don't have a weapon, you have a special attack, like I do. And each warrior has a special ability. You'll figure out yours when the time comes."

Eva set her mouth in a firm line. "When the time comes," she repeated. "I have a feeling that it's going to be very soon."

Aelita nodded and dashed off in the direction of the tower. Eva caught up with her and jogged beside her.

The tarantulas saw them coming and got down for the attack. Aelita and Eva ducked for cover as shots fired in their direction. Eva chuckled. The odds were stacked against them. She laughed at the little optimistic voice that told her it could be easy.

Aelita stood up from behind the rocks and fired an energy field. It hit its mark and the tarantula exploded.

"One down!" she said to Eva.

Eva nodded. There had to be some way she could fight these things.

Aelita cried out in pain and ducked behind the rocks. She was clutching her arm as it sparked.

"Aelita!" cried Eva.

"I'm fine," said Aelita. "I just can't take that many more hits."

Eva growled and ran from her cover, straight for the tarantulas. Rage built inside of her and a pulse of energy shot from her torso in the form of a ghost. It hit a tarantula and knocked it back a few feet.

"Aim for the spot on their heads!" cried Aelita.

Eva aimed and fired again. The second tarantula cried out and exploded. The third and fourth now concentrated their fire on Eva. There were no rocks large enough to take cover behind. Eva was out and exposed.

Suddenly the tarantulas stopped firing. Eva frowned in confusion and looked around.

"Eva? Eva!" Aelita cried, looking around for her. "Oh, no!"

The tarantulas got up and began moving toward Aelita, passing Eva like they couldn't see her. Maybe they couldn't! Eva looked down at her feet and all she saw was dirt.

"Invisibility!" she hissed. Eva smiled maliciously at the back of the tarantulas.

Aelita saw a whitish glow and another pulse struck one of the remaining two tarantulas. The tarantula was destroyed. The last one turned around, searching for the attacker.

"Psst, spidey," whispered Eva.

The tarantula looked down in time to see its end as another pulse slammed into its head. Eva reappeared and looked at Aelita.

"Well, come on!" Eva shouted. "Gawk later! You need to do your job now!"

Aelita came out of hiding and ran for the tower. Eva watched as the tower let her in and waited. The red aura turned white.

Eva looked down and saw herself disappearing.

"What?" she said.

The scanner doors opened and Eva was looking over at Aelita's scanner. It opened and Aelita stepped out in her nightshirt. Eva looked down and found that she was back in her pajamas.

"Whoa," muttered Eva, stepping out of the scanner and looking around.

"Come on," said Aelita.

They got into the elevator and back up the supercomputer. The phones were working now and Aelita called Jeremy.

"Aelita, are you okay?" asked Jeremy.

"I'm fine," said Aelita. "I deactivated the tower without too much trouble, but . . . "

"But what?" asked Jeremy.

"I had help," said Aelita glumly. "I couldn't get a hold of anyone and Eva saved me from Jim, so she followed me."

"So use a return to the past," said Jeremy.

"I can't," said Aelita. "Eva followed me to LYOKO. Her data's in the supercomputer."

"Oh, no!" Jeremy said.

Eva heard and carefully removed the headset from Aelita's ear.

"Jeremy," she said. "It's okay."

Aelita took the headset back. "If it wasn't for Eva, William would have come and thrown me into the digital sea. She didn't give him the time to even get to LYOKO."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Aelita thought they had been disconnected or worse, Jeremy hung up on her.

"Okay," said Jeremy. "She can be a LYOKO warrior."

"Great," said Aelita. "We'll be back soon."

Aelita took off the headset and got up from the chair. "Let's get back to school," she said to Eva. "It'll take us a little longer to get back."

Eva nodded and looked down at Aelita's feet. Her pink socks were soiled and she didn't have any shoes or slippers on. In the tunnel, Eva picked up the skateboard and Aelita began pushing her scooter.

"Hold on," said Eva. She folded up the scooter and knelt down. "Get on my back."

"Why?" asked Aelita.

"Because you are in the sewer with no shoes," replied Eva. "Now get on."

"What about the scooter?" asked Aelita.

"Get on," commanded Eva.

Aelita got onto Eva's back. Eva picked up the scooter and skateboard and used them to hold Aelita on her back.


	2. Lights Out

"Invisibility? Seriously?" Ulrich asked at the breakfast table the next morning.

Aelita was telling them everything that happened last night. She held a lot of respect for Eva's courage.

"That can certainly come in handy when William rears his ugly head," said Odd, taking a bite of sausage.

"I thought he was your friend," said Eva.

"He was. Is." Odd looked down at his plate.

"He is possessed by XANA, correct?" asked Eva. They nodded. "Then he is still one of you."

"One of us," corrected Jeremy. "You're a LYOKO warrior now, Eva."

"So what happened to you last night?" asked Eva.

"Jim had us locked in our rooms," said Ulrich. "We were trying to climb out the window, but that didn't work out so well."

"I almost fell," said Jeremy. "And I'm on the third floor."

Eva hummed and picked at her food.

"What's wrong?" asked Aelita.

"She's probably still trying to wrap her head around everything," said Odd.

"It's not that," said Eva. She sighed. "It's because I can't tell Kayla. She's already angry with me for keeping secrets from her."

"Is she some sort of control freak?" asked Ulrich.

Eva glared. "No," she said coldly. "She is not. I just keep things from people."

"Then you should have nothing to worry about," said Aelita.

Eva gave a nod. To change the subject, she asked, "What's the school's policy with medicine?"

"What kind of medicine?" asked Jeremy.

"Like an inhaler?" asked Ulrich. "You're not asthmatic, are you?"

"No," said Eva. "I mean aspirin and ibuprofen."

"You have to go to the nurse when you need them," said Ulrich. "If you get caught with them without parental consent, you face expulsion."

Eva frowned.

"Why?" asked Aelita.

"Just asking," said Eva.

"Hey, if you have that sort of thing, we won't rat on you," said Odd. "We have a secret that can get us all expelled."

"Other than LYOKO?" asked Eva.

"Yeah," said Odd. "Swing by after class and I'll show you."

Ulrich smiled. "You'll get to meet Kiwi."

"Who's Kiwi?" Eva asked.

"You'll see," said Ulrich.

During gym class, Eva ran beside Kayla. She wasn't in the mood for running extra laps on the track because she was so tired from last night. Kayla noticed that Eva hadn't slept.

"Not again," she groaned.

"Sorry, Kayla," said Eva.

"For once, girl!" hissed Kayla. "One night, that's all I'm asking. One night of sleep."

Eva looked away and sped up to keep the other students from listening. Kayla kept up with little difficulty.

"What about your secret project?" asked Kayla. "Has Mr. Delmas tried that number yet?"

"No," replied Eva. "Hopefully he won't at all. I have the post office box paid up for the next three months. I shouldn't need anything for at least a month."

"If you need anything," said Kayla.

"I am not involving you in this," hissed Eva.

"I know already," whispered Kayla. "I'm involved whether you like it or not, Eva. Just face it."

Eva sighed. "Any calls?"

"No," replied Kayla. "I don't expect any either. Our phone number changed when we moved. I still have my old mobile number, but they haven't called."

"I doubt that they will," said Eva.

"Do you need money?" asked Kayla.

"No, that's something I have plenty of," said Eva. "I'm stocked for now. I'm going to need medical supplies though."

"What for?" asked Kayla.

"It's just a precaution," said Eva.

"You better watch it, Eva," warned Kayla. "If they catch you fighting, you're in bigger trouble than ever."

"After what's happened to me in the past two years, it'll just be a bump," Eva assured her.

"A bump!" repeated Kayla. "Are you nuts?"

Eva glanced over at her.

Kayla sighed. "I should know better, shouldn't I? Fine. What do you need?"

"Aspirin, ibuprofen, gauze . . . "

"The basics," said Kayla. "I know. It's not the first time I stocked your first aid kit. Anything special?"

"No," answered Eva. "I have everything else."

They stopped running and got into squads for stretches. Kayla and Eva stood beside each other.

"There's something else," said Kayla. "Isn't there?"

Eva closed her eyes.

"What, Eva? You know you can tell me anything."

"I know," said Eva. She said nothing else.

Kayla knew that Eva would tell her when she was good and ready. They had been friends for almost two years now and Kayla was still learning about Eva. Kayla doubted that Eva was ever an open person. And if it hadn't been for spilt milk, they wouldn't have met at all.

Eva suddenly looked up. She scanned the area for any potential threat. Kayla knew what this meant. Eva had a pretty good intuition about danger.

The lights on the track began to turn on and off. The bulbs overloaded and shattered, raining glass down upon them all. Eva pushed Kayla to the ground and got over her. Eva then felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Come on," Ulrich said. "It's XANA."

Eva nodded. She turned back to Kayla. "First chance you get, go to my dorm. Wait there until I come get you."

"What's going on?" asked Kayla.

"Kayla, do as I say," commanded Eva.

Ulrich and Odd were standing close enough to hear.

"Sounds like Eva's the control freak," Odd said.

Eva approached them. "Let's go."

They ran to the manhole and climbed down. Aelita was already waiting for them.

"Is Yumi coming?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Ulrich.

"This could be difficult," said Jeremy. "There are only two scooters and three skateboards. There are six of us."

"I see your point," said Eva. "There is no time. I'll run along a side you guys."

"Can you keep up?" asked Jeremy.

"I'll try," said Eva.

"Ulrich, Aelita, and I will go on ahead," said Jeremy. "Odd, you stay with Eva. Yumi will come as soon as she can."

They started off down the sewer. Eva kept up with Odd, but the others steadily pulled away.

"You're fast," said Odd.

"Don't talk," panted Eva. "Just ride. Talk later."

Meanwhile, Yumi was stuck in her world history class. The lights had exploded and glass was everywhere. She already got the call that it was XANA, although no call was necessary.

Yumi crawled to the door, avoiding the attention of the teacher, who was in hysterics. She ran out of the building and straight into Kayla.

"Yumi!"

"Kayla!"

"What's going on?" Kayla asked. "Every light has gone out and Eva took off. I don't know where she went."

"Are you hurt?" asked Yumi.

"No." Kayla shook her head. "I'm all right. Where are the others?"

"Listen, you find a place to hide and stay there," said Yumi. "This will be over soon."

"Okay," said Kayla with a nod.

Kayla ran to the dorms. Yumi watched her go and ran for the manhole.

In the scanner room, Ulrich and Aelita prepared to be virtualized.

"You're heading for the mountain region," Jeremy said. "Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Aelita. Scanner. Virtualization."

Ulrich and Aelita appeared in the mountain sector.

"There!" Aelita pointed to the activated tower.

"And we've got company," said Ulrich, pulling a saber. There were three crabs guarding the tower. "Jeremy."

"Odd and Eva should be here soon," said Jeremy.

"That's not what I'm worried about," said Ulrich. "Any sign of William?"

"No," replied Jeremy. "Which is a little odd. I thought he would be there."

"It makes it easier for us," said Aelita.

"Okay, let's go," said Ulrich.

Odd and Eva ran into the factory and got on the elevator.

"So what did you think of LYOKO your first time?" asked Odd.

"I was too focused on Aelita to do any observing," said Eva.

"Really?" Odd asked. "You didn't even gawk?"

"For a moment when I saw Aelita on LYOKO for the first time," replied Eva. "Other than that, I was concerned about her safety."

They stopped at the supercomputer.

"You two get down there, quick," said Jeremy. "Ulrich's having a hard time."

Eva and Odd got into the scanners and were virtualized to LYOKO.

Ulrich was taking on three crabs at once. Aelita was hiding behind some rocks, waiting for a chance to get to the tower.

"Let's go!" Odd chirped, starting for the fight.

"Wait!" Eva grabbed his arm.

"What?" Odd looked at Eva for the first time. "Whoa! Scary."

"I think we have a problem," said Eva.

"What's that?" asked Odd.

Three hornets came out of nowhere and began shooting at Eva and Odd. Eva blasted one out of the sky and Odd hit the second with a laser arrow.

"How did you know?" asked Odd. "Don't tell me you have my future sight."

"Future sight?" asked Eva.

"I used to get visions of what was about to happen," said Odd. "They stopped awhile ago."

"Don't worry," said Eva. "I can do that sort of thing back on Earth. It's not a LYOKO ability."

"Will you two stop chatting and help Ulrich?" snapped Jeremy. "He's only got twenty life points left."

Eva and Odd ran in to help. Odd started shooting his arrows and Eva knocked one crab off its feet with her power pulse. A crab exploded after Odd shot it in the head.

"You okay?" Eva called to Ulrich.

"I've been better," said Ulrich.

"Heads up!" cried Jeremy. "William's there!"

Eva turned around to see William stalking up to them with is giant sword resting on his shoulder. She tried to hit him with a power pulse, but William swung his blade and it bounced right off.

"I got William!" shouted Ulrich.

Ulrich dashed off to fight his former friend. Eva turned to see Odd get hit by the remaining hornet. She jumped into the air, intending to blast it out of the sky. Instead, the hornet flew straight at her. Knowing it was going to hit, Eva braced herself.

"What on Earth?" cried Odd.

"Jeremy, Eva disappeared!" Aelita reported. "The hornet struck her and . . . "

"No, she's still there," Jeremy said. "I have her on my screen, but the hornet is gone."

"Are you sure, Einstein?" Odd asked. "We don't see her and the hornet is still there."

The hornet buzzed and twisted in the air, completely out of control. It regained control and hovered for a moment, shaking its head.

"Guys, I'm not lying," said Jeremy.

"Neither are we," Odd shot back. "But something's going on."

The hornet began firing at the remaining two crabs.

"What's going on?" asked Odd.

Aelita looked at the mark on the hornet's head. Instead of the dark moss green color, it was navy blue.

"The hornet—it's Eva!" she said.

"What?" the boys asked.

"It's Eva! She's possessing the hornet!" Aelita cried.

One crab exploded and the hornet flashed. Eva fell to the ground, the hornet she had possessed exploding. While she was still in the air, Eva fired one last power pulse at the final crab.

"Gotcha!"she cried.

There was a stinging pain from her right shoulder to her left side.

"Oh, no! Eva!" Aelita cried as Eva was devirtualized.

The scanner doors opened and Jeremy heard a roar of pain. It was the only way he could describe Eva's yell.

Yumi got off the elevator in the scanner room. Eva was doubled over and making her way to the elevator.

"You okay?" asked Yumi.

"Yeah," rasped Eva. "Man, that hurt! You hurry, they need you."

Yumi got into the scanner and Eva went up to the supercomputer.

"Are you okay?" asked Jeremy.

"I'm fine," said Eva, standing up straight. "What hit me?"

"William," replied Jeremy.

Eva's mobile began to ring. "Yeah?"

"Eva, it's me. I don't know where you are, but I've been trying to call you and it kept going to voice mail."

"Whoa, Kayla! Slow down. Tell me what happened?"

"You told me to go to your room," said Kayla. "I'm there right now. Everything is going crazy. Every electronic device is going crazy!"

In the background, Eva could hear her radio playing loudly.

"Overload," muttered Eva.

"What?" asked Kayla.

"Kayla, unplug everything in my room," said Eva. "The desk lamp, the radio, everything that has to be plugged in."

"Okay," said Kayla.

"What's going on?" asked Jeremy.

"Is it possible for XANA to overload the power grid?" asked Eva.

"Yeah, he's done it before," said Jeremy.

"They got to deactivate that tower fast," said Eva.

"Eva?"

"I'm here, Kayla," she said.

"I can't turn the ceiling light off," Kayla said. "And it keeps getting brighter."

"Get in the closet!" Eva commanded. "That light's gonna blow!"

Eva heard a door slam and a moment later glass shattering.

"Thanks," whispered Kayla.

"You stay there and call if anything changes," said Eva. Eva hung up her mobile. "How are they doing?"

"Not so good," said Jeremy. "William's in the way. Aelita can't get to the tower."

"Any sign of the Scyphozoa?"

"None," replied Jeremy.

Eva looked up on the screen and saw Odd's icon disappear.

"There goes Odd," said Jeremy.

"What about Ulrich?" asked Eva.

"Hanging on, but barely," he replied. "Yumi's got half her life points yet."

"No good against William," said Eva. "I had all mine when I came back, right?"

"Yes," said Jeremy.

"Where's Aelita?"

"There." Jeremy pointed to a yellow triangle on the screen.

"Okay," said Eva. "Is there any way she can get across that gap?"

Jeremy looked where Eva was pointing. "Yes, she can fly. What are you planning?"

"May I?" Eva asked, pointing to the headset.

"Sure," said Jeremy, removing it.

"Hey, guys," said Eva.

"What's up, Eva?" asked Yumi.

"I have an idea," Eva said. "Aelita, fly across the gap to the tower."

"But William will see her," said Yumi. "If she falls into the digital sea, Franz Hopper will come to save her."

"That's where you come in," said Eva. "You need to draw William's attention away from the gap."

"How?" asked Ulrich.

"Make him mad," answered Eva.

"Hey, William!" shouted Yumi. William turned around to face her. "You hit like my little brother!"

William roared with anger and charged her.

"Okay, Aelita," said Eva. "He's distracted."

Aelita went for the tower. She entered and made her way to the top. The screen popped up once she reached the top level. Aelita placed her hand on it and entered the code.

"Tower deactivated," she said.

William turned and saw the tower turn white. He growled in anger and jumped into the digital sea.

Eva's mobile rang. "Yes, Kayla."

"It stopped," she said. "Everything stopped."

"I'll be there soon," said Eva.

Back at school, Eva and Kayla went to the infirmary.

"Excuse us," said Kayla to a blonde woman. "We're looking for Yolanda Perriden."

"That's me," said the woman. "Are you hurt?"

"No, that's the thing," said Eva. She looked around the infirmary at all the students with injuries. "We thought we could help."

"Both of us have plenty of practice with minor injuries," said Kayla.

"I can use all the help I can get," said Yolanda.

Eva and Kayla washed up and began removing shards of glass and bandaging cuts.

That evening the school was darker than usual. Almost every lightbulb in the school had shattered. The custodians, teachers, and students were busy sweeping up glass.

"Hey," Odd whispered to Eva. "You didn't get to meet Kiwi yet."

Eva walked down to Ulrich and Odd's room. She opened the door and was greeted by a little beige dog.

"This is Kiwi," said Odd, picking up the little dog.

"Cute," said Eva, patting Kiwi on the head.

"Don't tell anyone," said Ulrich. "Some know about him, but we're not supposed to have pets."

"As long as you don't tell about my medicine stash, I won't tell anyone about Kiwi," Eva said.

Eva lay in bed that night unable to sleep. From under her black top, she pulled out a pendent on a silver chain. The pendent was the size of a half dollar with a Moline cross with a dark red crystal in the center.

"No matter how far, no matter how wide,

"No matter where in space or where in time.

"Forever linked by blood, linked by memory,

"All we have to do is close our eyes and see

"The ones we love and the ones miss

"We transcend any distance.

"You are forever with me, and I with you,

"As close as a touch, as far away as the moon."

Eva tucked the pendent under her shirt again and rolled over. There were tears in her eyes as she fell asleep.

"I love you, Macaroon," Eva breathed.


	3. Illuminating the Shadows

Kayla met Yumi at the gate the next morning.

"Hi, Yumi," she said.

"Hey, Kayla," replied Yumi. "What's new?"

"I wanted to know if Eva's okay," said Kayla.

"Why wouldn't she be?" asked Yumi. "Besides, you're her best friend. You would know if something wasn't okay."

"Not entirely," said Kayla. "Look, I can't tell you, but keep an eye on her. Eva can get a little weird."

"What do you mean?" asked Yumi.

"She gets paranoid," said Kayla. "She seems okay with you guys, but look out for her. If there's a problem, any problem, come tell me. I know what to do."

"I'm sure nothing's wrong," said Yumi. "Eva's fine."

Yumi walked away.

Kayla hung her head. "I hope so, for all of your sakes."

One of the first things that Kayla noticed that day was that Eva wasn't in class. The teacher never noticed and didn't mark her absent. During gym, Kayla found Odd and Ulrich.

"Have you two seen Eva today?" Kayla asked.

"No," said Ulrich. "Why?"

Kayla gave an annoyed sigh. "I must be the only one who notices when she's not around."

"She's so quiet," said Odd. "You hardly know when she's in class. Other than her first day in Mrs. Hertz class, she hasn't said much to any of us except to ask questions about the school."

"We don't want you to think that we don't care," Ulrich started.

"It's okay," Kayla interrupted. "Eva's been like that since I first met her. She vanishes and reappears on a whim. She's so plain that no one really notices her unless she wants them to. There are times I'll be talking to her and I'll turn around and she's gone. I'll have to check her room during lunch."

After gym, Kayla went up to Eva's room. She knocked on the door and did not receive an answer. She opened the door and found Eva in bed. Kayla closed the door behind her.

"Eva?" she called. "Eva."

Kayla gave the foot of the bed a good kick. Eva sat bolt upright with a hunting knife in her hand.

"It's me," said Kayla. "It's Kayla."

Eva flopped back down. She let the knife fall on the floor.

"What time is it?" Eva asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Lunchtime," replied Kayla.

"Oh, man," muttered Eva, sitting up.

"Don't worry," said Kayla. "No one noticed you were gone. I asked Odd and Ulrich where you were and they didn't realize that you weren't around."

Eva got up and pulled on a pair of jeans. She smoothed down her hair and grabbed her books.

"Still time to get some lunch, right?" asked Eva.

"Yes," replied Kayla. She looked at Eva. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Eva.

"Eva." Kayla had that warning tone.

"Honestly, I feel like dirt," Eva admitted. "My shoulder hurts and my back aches."

"You don't look so good either," added Kayla.

"Thanks," grumbled Eva.

Eva tucked a pocketknife in her pocket and headed for the door.

"What about that?" Kayla asked, pointing to the hunting knife on the floor.

Eva picked up a sweatshirt on the back of her chair and tossed it over the knife. "There, out of view."

Kayla smiled and rolled her eyes.

Eva took a seat next to Odd in the cafeteria.

"Are you all right, Eva?" asked Aelita.

"You look terrible," said Ulrich.

"She's fine," said Kayla.

Someone dropped their tray and a girl was yelling. "Watch what you're doing, you dork!"

They turned to see Sissi yelling at a younger student.

"Oh, boy," said Ulrich. "She's on a rampage today."

"Who is that?" asked Kayla.

"Sissi Delmas," replied Yumi. "The principal's daughter."

"Looks like she's got a temper," Kayla observed.

"And she can hold a grudge," Ulrich added. "You watch yourself around her. She'll make you miserable."

"Hey, Eva," Jeremy said. He looked at her to find that she had both hands on the table and her head bent. "You okay?"

"Someone shut her up," whispered Eva.

Kayla saw what was happening. "Eva, take it easy."

Eva clamped both hands over her ears as Sissi continued to yell at the student who bumped into her. "Shut her up," she repeated.

Sissi stormed off. Kayla pulled Eva's hands away from her ears. Eva took a deep breath and put her head down on the table.

"What was that about?" asked Odd.

"Is she okay?" asked Jeremy.

Kayla turned to Yumi. "This is what I mean," she said. "If she starts acting weird, call me." Kayla tapped Eva. "You good?"

Eva sat up and nodded. She looked pale.

"Here," said Odd. He handed Eva his pudding. "You should eat something."

Ulrich passed his tray over, the others loading it with their uneaten food: mashed potatoes, peas, and fruit.

"Thanks," Eva muttered, picking up a fork.

Eva was midway through her peas when she put her head up.

Kayla noticed. "What?"

"Which one of you kids left this at my door?" yelled Jim.

The LYOKO warriors watched Eva cringe at the yelling, but she didn't react like she did with Sissi. Everyone else was looking at Jim, who was holding up a dead rat. Girls screamed in disgust and Rosa the lunch lady almost fainted behind the counter.

"I think I'm going to be sick," muttered Yumi.

Aelita had her hand clamped over her mouth. Kayla's face was a pale green. The boys cringed. Eva took one look at the rat and went back to eating.

"What can you tell me about Jim?" Eva asked with her mouth stuffed full of peas.

"He's pretty cool," said Odd. "Like we told you, he says a lot of stuff that may or may not be true. He's a pretty good athlete."

Eva glanced up from her tray. Kayla raised an eyebrow.

"I want to stay on his good side, right?" Eva asked.

"Yeah," Yumi replied.

Odd leaned close to Eva so Kayla couldn't hear what he was saying. "He's helped with —you know —of course, he doesn't remember."

Eva went to class after lunch. It was a normal day. She kept looking at Jeremy to see if there would be a XANA attack, but everything was quiet. There was just one thing Eva needed to do, but she had to wait until after class.

A bunch of middle school boys gathered by the tool shed.

"Did you see Jim's face when he opened that paper bag?" one asked.

"I sure did! I thought he was going to be sick. Where did you find the rat, Collin?"

"I can't tell you, Darryl," said Collin with a shrug.

"Come on! We want to know!"

"I'll tell you if you can come up with a better prank to pull on Jim," said Collin.

"What?" asked Darryl.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know, Fabian," sneered Collin. "Think of something."

"Collin Streep, you are such a creep!" shouted Fabian.

The boys walked off, leaving Collin alone.

"Pussies," Collin muttered and headed for the dorm.

From behind the tool shed, a dark figure emerged.

"Collin Streep, hmm?" Eva said to herself. "You just got yourself into a whole lot of trouble."

Jim wasn't expecting anyone to be knocking on his door after at 22:13. He had been brushing his teeth when the two knocks sounded.

"I'm coming," he called through the door.

Jim wiped his mouth free of toothpaste and answered the door. Standing at the door was a student in a black hoodie sweatshirt.

"Hey, Jim. I thought you would like to know that it was Collin Streep who left the rat at your door."

The student turned to leave.

"Hold on," said Jim. He looked under the hood. "Eva Maverick?"

"Yes," replied Eva.

"Why aren't you in bed?" he asked.

"Couldn't sleep," Eva answered.

"Come in," said Jim, stepping aside to allow her to enter.

Eva came in and Jim closed the door behind her. The room was what Eva expected it to be: a bed, a desk, a closet, a sink. What she didn't expect to see was the punching bag.

"You box?" she asked.

"I used to," said Jim proudly. "At one point I was up for a national title and —and I rather not talk about it."

Eva chuckled. "Odd told me that's what you would say."

"Odd? You better watch out for him and his friends," warned Jim. "They're always up to something. Disappearing and reappearing and acting like nothing has happened."

"Odd and his friends are cool," said Eva.

"So, are you adjusting well? Making new friends?" asked Jim.

"Odd and his friends are very helpful," said Eva. "My friend, Kayla Olson, has become good friends with Yumi Ishiyama. As for adjusting, it's a work in progress."

"I must say, I haven't seen a student as fast as you," said Jim. "You really should go out for a sport."

Eva shook her head. "I rather not," she said. "I get too competitive and someone could get hurt."

"Did you participate in a sport at St. Yves?" asked Jim.

Eva was quiet for a moment. "No," she replied. "But I was into capoeira and later street dancing."

"You mean those pop and lock routines?" asked Jim.

"I was pretty good at it, too," continued Eva. "Then I had an accident and couldn't do either anymore."

"Your legs seem to work just fine," said Jim.

"It's not my legs," Eva quickly said. She reached up and touched her right shoulder. "I have a bad shoulder. It is easily dislocated. I have to be careful. I can still dance, but nothing like I was able to."

There was silence.

"I better get back to my room," said Eva.

"Thanks for telling me about Streep," said Jim.

Eva opened the door. "By the way, his buddies are planning on pranking you," she added. "Watch your back."

"I will," said Jim.

Eva went back up to her room. She cleaned up a little bit and waited until midnight to take a shower. Eva came back to her room and flopped on the bed. Her left shoulder throbbed. Eva reached over and ran her fingertips over several bumps. Another week or so and Kayla would be able to remove the stitches. She rolled over and went to sleep.

That morning, Aelita knocked on Eva's door.

"Eva, are you awake? We have class," she called. "Eva?"

Aelita opened the door. There was not much to Eva's room, just the basics that the school provided. There were no photos, no knickknacks, nothing to personalize the room. Her laptop sat on her desk next to a bunch of file folders. Aelita began to open the top file.

"What are you doing in here?"

Aelita jumped and screamed. Eva was on her feet. She saw that Aelita was looking at the files. Eva walked over and picked up the stack.

"Keep out of those," she said coldly as she put them in her closet. "Now, what were you doing in here?"

"I came to wake you up," said Aelita. "You overslept yesterday. I didn't want you to miss class."

Eva stared at her, expecting something. Aelita stared back blankly.

"You mind?" Eva said, pointing to the door.

"Oh! Sorry." Aelita hurried out and closed the door behind her so Eva could get dressed.

Eva emerged two minutes later and followed Aelita to breakfast.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Aelita apologized.

"Don't do it again," said Eva. "If you need to get me up, wait until Kayla gets here. Otherwise, bang on the door. I'll hear you eventually."

Eva was quiet all through breakfast and class. At lunch, no one saw her or Kayla.

"I don't know what was in those files," Aelita told the others after recounting what happened that morning, "but she seemed scared that I saw them."

"I wonder what she's hiding," said Jeremy. "Tonight I'll go to the factory and see what I can find."

Meanwhile, Eva and Kayla were sitting on a bench far from any of the buildings.

"Did she see what was in them?" asked Kayla.

"No, I don't think she did." Eva sighed. "Kay, I almost killed her. I had my hunting knife under the pillow."

"I should have warned them about going into your room like that," said Kayla.

"You didn't know," said Eva. "Don't worry about it so much." Eva put her head between her knees.

"The dreams again?" asked Kayla.

"And the pain," added Eva.

Kayla pulled Eva's shirt collar aside to see the white thread in Eva's skin. "It's healing nicely."

"You did a good job," said Eva.

"You should have told somebody about what happened," Kayla said.

Eva looked up at Kayla. "I told you," Eva said.

Kayla looked away and gave a small smile. "That's true."

"I'm just glad I'm out of there," said Eva.

"I'll find you some nighttime painkiller so you can sleep through the night," said Kayla. "It should help with the dreams, too."

Kayla and Eva sat quietly on the bench. Kayla already had her lunch and Eva wasn't that hungry.

"You seem to have made your way into the inner circle of them," Kayla suddenly said.

"Huh?" Eva turned to Kayla.

"Yumi and the others," clarified Kayla. "They seem to like you a lot."

Eva looked away. "There is a difference between liking someone and staying on their good side. That's all I can tell you."

"It has something to do with all the lights exploding, right?" asked Kayla. Eva did not answer. "I'll take that as a yes. Eva, I have no problem with you keeping secrets from me. I just worry about you."

"There aren't that many secrets that you don't know," said Eva. "You know me better than you think, Kayla."

"I doubt that," said Kayla.

"I do everything for a reason," Eva said. She sighed. "Kayla, you're the only family I have now."

"Don't say that." Kayla looked away and at the grass. "You don't mean that."

"I do," insisted Eva.

They were silent again for a few minutes.

"Do you want to come over to my house tonight?" Kayla asked.

"Sure," replied Eva. "What time?"

"Midnight, if you're not asleep," said Kayla. "You can pick up your supplies."

It was 20:54 when Eva's mobile rang.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"XANA has activated a tower," Jeremy said on the other end.

"Okay," said Eva and hung up.

Aelita, Eva, Ulrich, and Odd met at the manhole and entered the sewer.

"Where's Jeremy?" Eva asked.

"He's already at the factory," said Aelita. "He was working on a new program."

They traveled to the factory and hurried to the scanner room.

"You're heading for the ice sector," said Jeremy. "Ladies first."

Aelita and Eva got into the scanners.

"Transfer Aelita. Transfer Eva. Scanner Aelita. Scanner Eva. Virtualization."

Eva would have made a perfect landing if not for slipping on the ice and falling. She groaned and heard Aelita give a tiny giggle. Eva shot her a glare that was intensified by her makeup.

Ulrich and Odd dropped in as Eva picked herself up.

"The tower is south of your location," said Jeremy.

"Will you call us a taxi?" asked Odd.

"Your vehicles are on their way," said Jeremy.

Three futuristic vehicles appeared in front of them. Odd hopped into the air and landed on the pink and purple hoverboard. Ulrich got on the black one-wheeled motorcycle. Aelita got onto the hover-scooter.

"Sorry, Eva," said Jeremy. "I haven't had time to make your own vehicle. You can ride with Aelita on the over-wing for now."

Eva got on behind Aelita and the four of them were off. Eva could see some problems with fighting while she was on this vehicle. She wouldn't be able to use her power pulse on anything without damaging the vehicle. If she needed a vehicle, something like Odd's board would work nicely.

"I see it, Jeremy," Aelita said, pointing to the tower.

Eva could sense it before Jeremy said anything. "XANA's sending some monsters. There are five blocks on my screen."

"Oh, blocks!" cried Odd in delight. "My favorite!"

"You have to be careful with blocks," said Aelita. "They have a variety of attacks, one of which will freeze you for three minutes."

"And since we are on ice," said Ulrich, "you don't want to fall into the digital sea."

"Why's that?" asked Eva.

"You'll disappear forever," said Aelita. "We almost lost Yumi once. Jeremy managed to bring her back, but he may not be able to do it again."

Eva nodded. "Thanks for the tip."

"Here we go," said Ulrich, drawing a saber.

The blocks opened fired on them. They swerved to avoid being hit. Eva jumped from the over-wing and slid across the ice. A power pulse hit its mark and the block blew up.

"Nice shot, Eva!" shouted Odd. He quickly banked to avoid getting hit.

Ulrich drove up to one block and slashed it across the face. "That's two," he said as he turned around to go for another.

"And this makes three!" yelled Odd, performing a barrel roll and shooting a block while he was upside down. Odd then yelped as he was hit in the arm by the fourth block.

"I'm coming!" yelled Eva. She fired a power pulse and missed. The block turned and shot rings of fire in Eva's direction. Eva disappeared and the rings missed.

"Odd, be careful," they heard Jeremy said. "You can't take too many more hits."

Back in the supercomputer room, Jeremy heard a thud. At first he thought it was Yumi coming down the corridor. Something jumped from the ladder and landed behind the chair. Jeremy whipped around and yelled. XANA had animated some scrap metal to create a monster. Jeremy jumped out of his chair, yanking the headset from his ear and tried to get as far from the monster as possible.

At the same time, Odd and a block took a shot at each other and took each other out. Ulrich went after the final block.

"Come on, Aelita," said Eva.

Aelita came out of hiding and raced to the tower. A squid-like monster came out from behind the tower. Aelita slid to a stop and screamed.

"Scyphozoa!" shouted Ulrich.

Odd gasped as he emerged from the scanner. He heard a commotion upstairs and he quickly climbed the ladder to see what was happening. Odd saw the scrap monster chasing Jeremy around.

"Hey, you hunk of junk!" Odd yelled. "Bet you can't catch me!"

The monster turned and started after Odd.

Eva and Ulrich raced to defend Aelita. Ulrich hurled a saber at it and missed. Eva's power pulse on the other hand knocked it back a few feet. Stunned, it looked at the new human with some interest.

"Back off!" growled Eva. She fired another power pulse and sent the Scyphozoa reeling. "Aelita, go!"

Aelita dashed inside the tower.

In the meantime, Odd was sent flying across the supercomputer room by the monster.

"Odd!" shouted Jeremy. The monster began to stalk Jeremy. "Oh, no!"

Aelita arrived on the top floor of the tower. She placed her hand on the interface.

"Tower deactivated," she said.

The scrap monster fell into pieces. Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to the computer, calling Ulrich, Aelita, and Eva in. He then turned to Odd.

"Oh, no," he said.

The others took the elevator up. Instead of seeing Jeremy at the supercomputer, he was standing over Odd. Odd's arm had a long gash from his upper arm to mid-forearm.

"What happened?" asked Eva.

"XANA created that thing and it attacked us," Jeremy explained, pointing to the remains of the monster.

Eva hurried over to Odd. The gash was pretty bad and blood now soaked his sleeve.

"He needs a doctor," said Aelita.

"How are we going to explain this?" asked Ulrich.

Eva was very quiet. She suddenly pulled out her mobile. "I know what to do," she said. "But you're probably going to hate me for it."

"Who are you calling?" asked Jeremy.

At that moment, Yumi exited the elevator. "I see I missed the action," she said. Yumi saw Odd laying there. "What happened to Odd?"

"Kayla, it's me," Eva said. "I need you to bring my kit to the abandoned factory on the river." There was silence as Kayla spoke. "Bring all of it. I don't know what I need, but I need it quick."

Eva shoved her mobile back into her pocket.

"You called Kayla?" asked Jeremy.

"What can she do?" asked Ulrich.

"Between the both of us, we have just as much experience as an ER doctor," said Eva.

"How do you figure that?" asked Yumi.

"Just trust me," said Eva. She looked over her shoulder. "And don't ask."

Ten minutes later Eva's mobile rang again. Eva gave Kayla the instructions to get into the supercomputer room. A few moments later, Kayla exited the elevator.

"Whoa," she said, looking around the room.

"Kayla!" snapped Eva.

"Oh, right," Kayla said.

Kayla handed Eva the bag she was carrying and together they cut Odd's sleeve away and began to clean the wound.

"It's not as bad as I thought," said Eva. "He won't need stitches."

"Now I understand why you wanted the extra supplies," said Kayla, cutting gauze to dress the wound.

Odd, who was semi-conscious, opened his eyes and looked at Kayla.

"Hey," he rasped.

Kayla looked up from his arm. "Hi," she said with a smile.

Odd looked down at his arm. "I'm going to have a hard time explaining this," he said.

"No, you won't," said Eva without looking up. "Keep it covered and no one will notice. I'll come to your dorm to change the bandage."

"What happens if I want Nurse Kayla?" he asked.

Eva reached up and grabbed Odd by the ear. "Tough luck," she said. "You get Nurse Eva." She let go.

"Ow!" Odd reached up with is good arm and rubbed his ear. "Your bedside manner is less than to be desired."

"Good to go," said Kayla, smoothing a piece of tape over the gauze.

"When you get back to the dorm, I want that shirt," said Eva. "We'll have to get rid of it."

"I can do better," said Odd. "I'll just cut the sleeves off."

"Then give me the sleeves," said Eva.

"Let's get you back to school before someone notices you're gone," said Kayla, pulling Odd to his feet. "I hope you had your tetanus shot."

"Yeah," answered Odd. "The last thing I want is lockjaw."

"That could be a blessing in disguise for some of us," muttered Ulrich.

"What?" asked Odd.

"Nothing," Ulrich quickly said.

"How do you two know so much about first aid?" asked Aelita.

Kayla looked at Eva with a nervous look. Eva's cold eyes settled on Kayla for a moment.

"A lot of practice," Eva finally said.

Kayla handed Eva the bag and they started for the school. Kayla and Yumi left together and walked home.

"You seemed nervous back there," Yumi said to Kayla. "Something you want to share?"

"It's not my place," said Kayla. "Eva will tell you when she is good and ready. That's how she is."

"Has she always been so secretive?" Yumi asked.

Kayla nodded.

"How long have you two been friends?"

"Close to two years," answered Kayla.

"How did you two meet?"

Kayla stopped in her tracks.

Yumi turned around. "What's wrong?"

"It's one of those things that maybe Eva should tell you," Kayla said slowly. "Our relationship is one built on hard times, let's say that. Eva is still processing everything even after two years."

"Okay," said Yumi a little suspiciously. How were they ever going to learn about Eva if Kayla didn't tell them anything?

The next day was Saturday, so the students only had class for half a day. After classes were over, Yumi, Aelita, and the boys met in Jeremy's room.

"Did you find anything on Eva?" asked Ulrich.

"No," replied Jeremy.

"Great, so we're back to square one," said Odd. "You could have told us that with a phone call."

"That's the problem," said Jeremy. "I didn't find anything. I hacked the East St. Yves de Villefort school student directory. There is no mention of an Eva Maverick ever attending."

"What about Kayla?" asked Yumi.

"When I couldn't find anything on Eva, I checked Kayla," said Jeremy. "Kayla isn't lying about going to East St. Yves de Villefort. She's been a student there since she began school."

"Then how did Eva get here?" asked Aelita.

"She is here on a scholarship," said Jeremy. "It's just that she lied on the application."

"Then what else is she lying about?" asked Yumi.

Jeremy turned to his computer screen. "I searched every school database looking for Eva Maverick. The only match I got was for South Remington. Eva went to school there up until the sixth grade and then her parents pulled her out of school."

"South Remington?" asked Odd. "That's not too far from here."

"East St. Yves is farther away," said Yumi. "Kayla told me she's known Eva for two years. There's no way their paths crossed there."

"I wonder how well she knows her friend," Ulrich said with a scornful laugh.

"There's more," said Jeremy. "I found another student with the same last name." He pulled up a picture of a little girl in the third grade. She had the same brown hair and brown eyes as Eva, only her face was warm and smiling. She wore a frilly red dress and had ribbons in her hair. "Everyone, meet Mackenzie Maverick."

"Eva has a sister," whispered Aelita.

"Had a sister," said Jeremy. "Mackenzie died two years ago. Leukemia."

"Two years ago?" asked Yumi. She remembered what Kayla said to her last night about her and Eva having a relationship built on hard times. "Jeremy, what hospital was Mackenzie in?"

"Hemingway Hospital," answered Jeremy. "Why do you ask?"

"Can you find out if Kayla had family in that hospital?" asked Yumi.

"Let's see," Jeremy muttered, typing. "Kayla Olson."

"What's up, Yumi?" asked Ulrich.

"I think I know how they met," said Yumi.

"No patients who are related to her," said Jeremy.

"Check hospital personnel," Yumi said.

"Yes, Luc Olson, her father," said Jeremy. "He's a doctor in the children's ward."

"We met in the hallway after her sister past away."

Everyone jumped to see Kayla standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Odd.

"Long enough," said Kayla. "How is your arm?"

"I've had better days," said Odd.

Kayla began to change Odd's bandage.

"Where's Eva?" he asked.

"Sleeping," replied Kayla. She sighed. "I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone figured out what we were up to. I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon. Or that it would be you who would figure it out."

"Would you mind filling in the blanks?" asked Ulrich.

"Eva was sitting in the hallway after her sister past away, like I said," said Kayla. "I was helping out that day. My dad thought it would be a good idea to put me to work. I was playing with some of the younger children. Anyway, one of them wanted some milk and I went to the cafeteria to get some. I was coming back when Eva and I collided in the hallway. I spilled the milk and Eva helped clean it up."

"You never met Mackenzie?" asked Odd.

Kayla shook her head. "But Eva told me all about her. Her parents were arguing over what should happen to her body. Eva couldn't stand it and we hung out in the emergency stairwell."

"So how did she manage to get into Kadic?" asked Ulrich.

"Eva has many talents," said Kayla. "She is brilliant in more ways than one. She forged her way in."

"Forged?" asked Yumi. "How is that possible?"

"Eva can copy any signature," explained Kayla. "She has a photographic memory. If anything, she could be out of school by now if she wanted to be. Anyway, I managed to get my hands on the scholarship papers and Eva forged her parents' signatures. She bought another mobile and wrote that number down and rented out a post office box. If anyone calls, she'll answer the phone and pretend to be her mother."

"But why would you do something like this?" asked Aelita.

"She had to get out of that house," said Kayla. "Eva and her sister were abused. Eva did what she could for Mackenzie, but after she was gone, Eva had to look out for herself. This is the only option we could foresee."

"So what I found on her desk," Aelita started.

"Were her practice and reference papers," finished Kayla.

"What does she do for money?" asked Odd.

"Street competitions," said Kayla. "Eva is amazing at stepping. You can make a thousand a night if you win. She was selling some jewelry, but I think she's out. If she needs cash, she'll have to compete for it."

Ulrich sat quietly on Jeremy's bed. "I have to ask," he said. "How bad was the abuse?" They all turned to Ulrich. "I noticed that she's jumpy around a lot of people and loud noises."

"It was bad," said Kayla. "Eva took the worst beatings to protect Mackenzie. It got worse after she died. That's how I know about first aid. I was Eva's surgeon when she got hurt bad."

"Define 'bad'," said Yumi.

"I had to relocate her right shoulder three times already," said Kayla. "It pops out on its own now and she's learned to put it back in by herself. I've had to stitch her up a couple of times. The little things like scratches and bruises she can take of herself."

"Oh, man," said Odd. "I don't blame her for leaving."

"Her parents must wonder where she is," said Aelita.

Kayla laughed scornfully. "I doubt they even know she left," she said. "Eva comes and goes and no one notices. Also her parents didn't pay much attention to her unless they were beating her."

There was silence in the room. Everyone felt bad for Eva and didn't know what to say.

"She doesn't think of you as friends," Kayla said, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" asked Yumi.

"Eva lost her family two years ago and she wants to be part of a family," said Kayla. "Right now, I'm playing the role of sister. Don't be surprised if she fusses over you and makes your battles her own."

"Like she did when Jim tried to kidnap me," said Aelita. "Eva didn't even think, she acted."

"She probably thought of you as Mackenzie," said Kayla. "That's what she does."

"I'm glad we're her friends," said Odd.

"So am I," Kayla agreed.


	4. New Bonds of Friendship

A young Eva was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Mackenzie. Their parents weren't home at the moment and there was a rare peace in the little house.

"Lunchtime, Macaroon," Eva called.

Mackenzie came running into the kitchen. She was wearing a denim jumper and a pink shirt. Her hair was pulled into pigtails that flopped every which way.

"Thank you, Eva," said Mackenzie when Eva handed her the plate.

Eva sat at the kitchen table and stared out the window while Mackenzie ate her sandwich.

"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Mackenzie.

Eva shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

Mackenzie tore her sandwich in half. She handed one half to Eva. "Just because I'm the smallest doesn't mean you can't eat something. Don't you want to be big and strong?"

Eva laughed. "I'm supposed to be telling you that."

They ate their sandwiches.

The door banged opened and then slammed shut. The sisters froze. Eva jumped up and ran into the living room to greet her mother.

"Did you have a good day, Mommy?" she asked.

"I'm going to bed," her mother said. "I don't want to hear you."

Her mother stomped off to bed. Eva went back into the kitchen to see an empty chair and the crust of Mackenzie's sandwich. Eva picked up the plate and went back into their room. Mackenzie was hiding under the bed.

"Hey," said Eva, kneeling down. "Finish your sandwich."

Mackenzie pulled herself from under the bed and took the plate.

"Do you think other children go through the same things we do?" asked Mackenzie.

"No," replied Eva.

"Why do you think we have to?"

Eva didn't answer right away. "I think it's a test," she said. "We'll be stronger than the other kids when we get out of it." Eva kissed Mackenzie's brow and brought her head down so their foreheads touched. "I love you, Macaroon."

"I love you, too, Eva-phant," said Mackenzie.

It was night suddenly. Their father came home and began shouting at their mother. Eva and Mackenzie got into the bed and huddled under the covers. Their father burst into their room and grabbed Mackenzie, yanking her out of her bed by the hair.

"Let go of her!" Eva leaped out of bed and onto her father's back. "Let go! Let go! Let her go!"

Her father let go of Mackenzie and threw Eva out into the hallway. He began kicking her. Eva curled into a tight ball and allowed him to hit her.

When it was over, Eva got up and found her father dragging Mackenzie down the hallway. The hallway grew longer and there was a bright light at the end.

"Mackenzie!" Eva screamed.

She jumped up to run after her sister, but her mother caught her by the arm. Her mother pulled so hard that Eva's shoulder was dislocated. Eva screamed in pain. Her mother's eyes were red and in her hand she held a meat cleaver. Eva ducked and felt the cleaver strike her other shoulder.

Eva sat up in bed so fast that she didn't have time to grab her hunting knife. Instead she smashed her head into Kayla's face.

"Ow!" yelped Kayla.

Eva fell back on her pillow and groaned. She looked at the door and saw the others standing around.

"I'm glad I took this from under your pillow," said Kayla, covering her nose and holding up Eva's hunting knife.

"What is going on?" asked Eva.

"A family get-together," chirped Odd.

"We know what happened to you," said Ulrich.

Eva glared at Kayla. "You told them?" she snarled.

"They figured out what we did," said Kayla. "I just gave them the why."

Eva sat up again and rubbed her eyes. She got up and put her shoes on.

"What now?" asked Eva. "You're going to tell on me?"

"No," said Jeremy. "We need you around. Kayla, too."

Kayla turned to Jeremy. "Why me?" she asked.

"Tonight you get your first taste of LYOKO," said Odd with a smile.

"You're letting her?" asked Eva.

"Sure," said Jeremy. "We need all the help we can get. You two are so good at keeping secrets that we figured it would be safe to trust you."

Eva hung her head. "I guess if you trust us this much, I should show you something I've only showed Kayla."

Eva pulled her black shirt over her head. She was wearing a dark blue camisole underneath, but that didn't hide the scars that covered her back. Among them was the white thread the held the skin together from her last encounter with her mother.

There were hushed gasps among the LYOKO warriors. They were even more horrified when Eva moved her hair from her face and neck and saw the smaller, paler scars.

"What are all those from?" asked Aelita.

Eva pointed to the longest scar on her head, extending from her left temple to her left ear. "That's from a crowbar. The others are from a frying pan and various other household items. This one here — ," she pointed to where her hairline started, "—that's from getting my head slammed on a counter."

"What about that one?" asked Yumi, pointing to her left shoulder where the thread was.

"Meat cleaver," answered Eva. "It went deep, too. Kayla stitched me up after it happened. That was the last straw and when we heard about the scholarship."

Kayla inspected the stitches. "We can take them out tomorrow," she said.

"Good," said Eva. "They're starting to itch a lot."

"So we'll meet at the factory after lights out," said Jeremy.

"Okay!" Kayla said with a smile.

That night they all met at the factory. Kayla was very excited.

"Calm down," said Eva.

"How can I?" asked Kayla. "After what you told me over the phone, it's taking everything I have not start screaming."

"You must be so proud that you haven't soiled yourself," Eva said dryly. The others stared at her. "What?"

"I don't think we ever heard you crack a joke before," said Odd with a snicker.

"I don't mean to make jokes," said Eva. "It just comes out that way."

"Eva's one of those people who call it as they see it," said Kayla.

"I am still working on creating a vehicle for you, Eva," said Jeremy. "It will be like Odd's board."

"Good," said Eva. "The last thing I need is controls getting in the way."

"What about me?" asked Kayla.

"We don't know what powers or weapons you have, Kayla," said Jeremy. "I'll have to wait and see what they turn out to be. I'll create a vehicle that is suited toward your needs."

Jeremy went into the supercomputer room and the others went to the scanners. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi would go first and Aelita, Eva, and Kayla would follow.

"Just relax," Eva told Kayla when it was their turn.

Kayla got into the scanner and waited.

"You ready, girls?" asked Jeremy. "Here we go."

Kayla closed her eyes and heard the scanner start up. Then she was falling.

"Ow!" Kayla flopped on the ground.

"I forgot about that," said Eva.

"Now I know for next time," said Kayla, picking herself up.

"Greetings, earthlings!" Odd said.

"Nice getup, Kayla," said Yumi.

Kayla looked down at herself. Her jumpsuit was yellow with fingerless gloves and silver trim. Running across her chest was a deeper band of gold with a silver fleur-de-lis. The armor on her forearms and knees was gold and her shoulder armor was silver. Her shoes were yellow with silver fleurs-de-lis on the sides. She had a silver belt and a gold and silver skirt very similar to Aelita's, and strapped to her right hip was a gold baton. Her hair was done in french underbraids with strands of gold and silver woven in, creating a tiara. On the left side was a gold rose barrette.

"Cool!" she said. Kayla looked up at the tall trees that surrounded them.

"Where are we this time?" asked Eva.

"This is the forest sector," said Aelita.

"There are five sectors in LYOKO," said Ulrich. "Ice, desert, mountain, and forest are the main ones."

"And then there's Sector Five, Carthage," finished Yumi.

"When will we get to go there?" asked Kayla.

"Soon," Jeremy answered. "Right now, let's focus on what Kayla's abilities may be."

"So how do you propose we do that?" asked Kayla.

Ulrich drew a saber. "Like this," he said.

"I don't want to hurt you," said Kayla.

"It only stings for a minute," said Yumi. "When you run out of life points, you return to the scanners."

"Okay," Kayla said uncertainly. She took the baton from her belt, noticing one end had a textured grip. As she wondered what she was going to do, the other end of the baton glowed, forming a spiked ball.

"It's a mace," said Aelita.

Ulrich charged. Kayla blocked his attack and swung her mace. Ulrich was fast and she missed. The mace slammed into the ground, causing everything to shake.

"Whoa!" said Odd. "What a swing!"

Ulrich charged again and Kayla slammed her mace into his saber. The saber shattered! Ulrich gaped at the broken saber in his hand.

"I've only seen William do that," said Ulrich.

"I was wondering when one of us would develop super strength," said Odd.

"Good shot, Kayla," said Aelita.

"Okay, now we know that she has super strength," said Jeremy. "Let's see what her special ability is."

"May I?" asked Eva. She stepped up to Kayla. "Do you think you have a good handle on swinging that mace?"

"I think so," replied Kayla.

Eva nodded. "Then come get me," she said.

Eva fired a power pulse at Kayla. Kayla threw her hands up to block. The mace head glowed and the power pulse was absorbed.

"That's how you block," said Yumi. "With Ulrich and me, we use our weapons to shield ourselves from attacks. Odd uses an energy shield and Aelita combines two energy fields to create a shield."

"How do you do it, Eva?" Kayla asked.

Eva shrugged. "I never got the chance to try and block. I was too busy figuring out the invisibility and possession abilities."

"Possession?" asked Kayla. Then she shrugged. "Both of them make sense for you, but why would I have super strength? And this mace?"

"You like taking your challenges head on," said Eva. "And you've put up with my shenanigans for the past two years. It's not surprising you have the strength to smash Ulrich's saber." Eva widened her stance. "Now attack."

Kayla ran up and tried to hit Eva only to have her leap back out of her reach. Kayla held the mace in one hand and put it over her shoulder. The swing would bring the mace down on Eva's left shoulder. Eva jumped back, but Kayla was already swinging. There was a small smirk on Eva's face, knowing that she had escaped the blow. But then the unexpected happened. The mace head came flying at Eva and she tried to dodge. Too late. The mace slammed into her shoulder and knocked her back.

"Are you okay?" gasped Kayla.

"That blow took out over half of Eva's life points!" Jeremy shouted.

"And it wasn't even a direct blow!" added Ulrich.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that mace could smash through a mega-tank's armor," said Odd.

"It's not a mace," said Eva, getting up. "It's a morning star. Knights used them in the Middle Ages."

"By the looks of it, it can extend to hit distant opponents," said Yumi.

"Let's see what else you can do," said Odd, jumping in to take Eva's place.

The super scan beeped on Jeremy's screen. "Uh-oh. Bad news, guys. XANA's activated a tower in the desert sector. You better deactivate it."

"How do we get there from here?" asked Kayla.

"We use a way tower," said Aelita. "All the towers are connected and can take you to other towers. Only way towers can take you to other sectors."

"There's a way tower east of where you are," said Jeremy. "I'm sending your vehicles."

Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi hopped on their vehicles. Aelita rode with Odd, Eva rode with Yumi, and Kayla rode with Ulrich.

"I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable for you," Kayla apologized as she pressed against Ulrich's back.

"You're fine," said Ulrich with a smile. "Hold on."

They took off for the way tower.

"Um, how do we get in?" asked Kayla as they approached the tower.

"Like this," said Ulrich, accelerating.

Kayla let out a scream and gripped Ulrich around the waist tightly as they were about to collide with the tower. When there was no impact and they were still moving, she looked up in time to see the inside of the tower and the pit that lay beneath the floor.

Eva was in awe as they dove into the data stream. Then Yumi pulled up and they rose from the pit. The tower still looked the same, but when they exited, they were in the desert sector.

"That was cool," she breathed in Yumi's ear.

"And there's the tower," said Odd, pointing.

"I don't see any monsters," said Ulrich with a frown.

"We caught it early," said Jeremy. "Maybe XANA doesn't know you're there."

As he spoke, three crabs materialized in front of the tower.

"Great," groaned Eva.

"Ditto," said Ulrich.

"Okay, Aelita, you stay with Kayla and Eva," said Jeremy. "You girls hang back and let Yumi and the boys handle the crabs."

"Why?" asked Eva.

"You only have thirty life points, Eva," said Jeremy. "And Kayla's just learning."

"I can still fight," argued Eva.

"Don't push it," said Kayla. "I really hit you hard back there."

Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi went after the crabs. Kayla pulled out her mace and Eva searched for any other enemies.

"They are really good," said Kayla.

"Behind you! There's a tarantula!" Jeremy yelled.

Eva and Kayla turned around to see a tarantula rushing up to them. Aelita fired an energy field at it and missed. The tarantula sat down and took aim.

"Move!" shouted Eva, knocking Aelita to the ground.

Kayla took a hit in the arm and dropped her mace. Eva disappeared and ran up to the tarantula. She charged up for a power pulse and the tarantula shot her twice. Eva was devirtualized.

"Eva!" screamed Kayla. She picked up her mace and charged the tarantula. Kayla began to twirl the mace, turning it into its morning star form. "Die!"

The mace hit its mark, dead center in the tarantula's head, smashing it into pieces.

"Good shot, Kayla!" shouted Ulrich.

"Is Eva going to be okay?" Kayla asked.

"I'm fine," came Eva's voice. "A little angry, but fine."

"All clear, princess!" shouted Odd after destroying the final crab.

Aelita raced for the tower.

A few minutes later, they were all back on Earth.

"That was amazing, Eva," said Kayla.

"Would have been better if I wasn't shot," Eva said.

"So this stuff happens all the time?" asked Kayla.

"XANA's always up to something," said Yumi.

"It escaped from LYOKO and it doesn't need it anymore," said Jeremy. "But we need LYOKO to stop it."

"Where did it escape to?" asked Eva.

"The internet," replied Aelita. "XANA created replicas of the sectors all over the world. Jeremy created the Skid so we could go to those replicas and appear on Earth to destroy their power source."

"Will we ever go with you?" asked Kayla. "In the Skid?"

"There's a problem with that," said Jeremy. "I created it for one driver and four passengers, one of which would be William's once we manage to get him away from XANA's control. I'll have to create another skid for you two."

"If it's too much of a problem, don't bother," said Kayla.

"You two have some very useful abilities," said Aelita. "We can't just leave you behind."

Yumi looked at her watch. "It's late," she said. "I need to get home."

"So do I," said Kayla. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'll call you," said Eva.


	5. Good Friends

Time passed and Eva and Kayla integrated into everyday life at Kadic Academy. They had their ups and downs with teachers and students, but everything was working out quite nicely.

Eva was just getting awake Sunday morning, the effects of the nighttime pain medicine beginning to wear off. She reached back and rubbed the gauze patch that covered the skin of her left shoulder. Kayla had taken the stitches out last week and today Eva could leave the gauze off it.

"Eva?" Aelita's voice drifted through the door. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," Eva answered. "Come in."

Eva sat up and Aelita came in.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go into town for ice cream this afternoon," Aelita said.

"I was thinking about going for a run," said Eva. "But ice cream sounds good."

Eva walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans. As she got dressed, Aelita noticed that Eva's stature was more like a young man's. Her muscles were well-defined for a girl and with her baggy clothes, no one could really see her hips or chest. Aelita looked down at Eva's legs and saw that they were scarred, rough, and abraded.

"Do you have any lotion for them?" asked Aelita, gesturing to Eva's legs.

"No," replied Eva. "It's a luxury. I can cope with rough skin."

"Your knees are really scraped up," Aelita observed.

"It doesn't bother me," said Eva. "I barely feel it when I scrape them anymore."

Aelita looked around the room. "Why don't you have any decorations?"

"I only brought what I needed," said Eva. "I'm hungry. Let's get breakfast."

Aelita and Eva walked to the cafeteria and got their breakfast. Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremy were already there.

"'Morning, sleepyheads," said Odd.

"Hey," said Eva, taking a seat and brushing her hair back from her face.

"Rough night?" asked Ulrich.

"I'm groggy from the medicine I took," replied Eva.

"What time do we want to go for ice cream?" asked Aelita.

"Yumi's going to meet us there at one," said Ulrich.

"We should ask Kayla if she wants to go," said Jeremy.

Eva pulled out her mobile, pulled up Kayla's number, and handed it to Jeremy.

"Are you going to be awake enough to sneak around without being seen?" asked Odd.

Eva looked up from her plate of sausage. "That's funny, Odd."

"Just asking." Odd put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "I don't want Jim to catch us."

"Uh, Odd?" said Ulrich.

"What?" asked Odd, opening his eyes. Eva was gone. "Huh? Where'd she go?"

"You were saying?" Eva whispered in Odd's ear.

Odd yelped and fell out of his chair. The others laughed. Odd got up and dusted himself off.

"I knew she was there," said Odd.

"Sure," replied Ulrich.

"Well, if it's going to be a bit, I'm going for a run," announced Eva. "I'll see you at lunch."

Eva took her tray up and went outside. She started to jog the paths in the woods.

"Hey, come on, Milly," said a girl. "I don't want to get in trouble."

Eva stopped and saw Milly and Tamiya, the school journalists. They were standing over a ball of fur.

"Is it okay?" asked Tamiya.

"What is it?"

The girls screamed. Eva had walked up behind them. There was a dog lying under a bush. It put its head up when it saw Eva. The dog growled.

"Tamiya, Milly, slowly move away from the dog," said Eva. "Now."

Milly and Tamiya moved away from the dog. The dog got up and Eva could see that it had a broken leg.

"Whose mangy mutt is this?"

Eva recognized Sissi's voice. The dog began to back away from them, cornering itself in the bush.

"Sissi, be quiet," Eva said in a level tone. "He's hurt."

"It's your mutt?" asked Sissi. "I knew you were up to something. You're always so quiet and strange. I'm telling my father about this."

The dog began growling again.

"Sissi, I'm warning you," said Eva.

"Is that a threat?" asked Sissi.

The dog lunged. Eva grabbed the dog and they both went tumbling to the ground. The girls screamed and Sissi took off running. Tamiya and Milly were too terrified to move. The dog snarled and tried to bite Eva. Suddenly it yelped and there was another growl. The dog froze and the growling continued. Then the dog tried to lick Eva's face.

"Whoa," breathed Tamiya, realizing that the growling was coming from Eva.

"Did she just . . . ?" started Milly.

Eva slowly got up and the dog continued to lick her. She picked up the dog and began carrying it toward the school.

"Now there's a story," said Milly. "I can see the headline now: New Student Saves Reporters. I'm sure that'll make the front page."

"Let's go tell Mr. Delmas," said Eva. She had a scratch on her cheek and leaves in her hair.

Mr. Delmas was busy listening to his daughter rant about a dog and the new girl, Eva.

"Elisabeth, please," he said. "Calm down and tell me again what happened."

Tamiya opened the door and Eva came in carrying the dog. Sissi screamed.

"Shut up!" barked Eva.

"That dog's a menace!" she cried. "It tried to kill me!"

"Because you scared him with your screaming," retorted Eva. "He's scared and he's hurt. I wouldn't be in such a good mood either if I had a siren shrieking in my ear."

"Where did you find him?" asked Mr. Delmas.

"In the woods," said Eva. "Milly and Tamiya found him, actually. He has a broken leg."

The dog whimpered in Eva's arms.

"I'll make sure he gets to a vet," said Mr. Delmas. "In the meantime, Elisabeth, I believe you owe an apology to Eva."

"No apology is necessary, sir," said Eva. "I just want to get this boy taken care of."

The dog barked in agreement.

"What happened?" Odd had to ask again when Eva finished telling him about the dog. She had called to tell them that she may be running late for ice cream and that they should go without her.

"The dog's fine," said Eva.

"After that Sissi attack, I hope so," said Odd. "Maybe I should bring some dog food for him."

"Mr. Delmas has that taken care of," said Eva. "He's sending animal control to the school to pick him up. The dog's healthy, he just has a broken leg."

"But he attacked you," said Odd, worried. "They might put him down."

Eva winced. "That's true," she said. "And Sissi already told her father what happened."

"Hey, I'll see you at the ice cream shop," said Odd.

"Later," replied Eva.

Eva tucked her mobile back into her pocket. She looked around the courtyard where she was currently standing. Something was wrong. Something was coming. Danger.

Eva heard Milly scream. Milly came sprinting around the building with a very large dog on her heels.

"Great," muttered Eva, getting low and bracing herself. Her eyes widened. "What?" There was something wrong with that dog's eyes. And they way it was moving, too. "XANA!"

"Eva, help!" screamed Milly.

Eva knew that this was going to hurt a lot, but if it saved Milly, she was willing to take the chance of being killed.

"Milly, here! Come here!" Eva called, opening her arms.

Milly ran straight into her with the dog on her heels. The force sent Eva tumbling backwards. As she fell, Eva placed her foot on the dog's chest and sent it flying over their heads. Eva got to her feet and started running for the dorms with Milly in her arms.

Jim was in his room, punching the punching bag when he heard Milly screaming.

"Jim! Jim! Jim, open the door!"

Jim opened the door and Milly was pushed into the room by Eva. Eva slammed the door behind them.

"What's going on?" asked Jim.

"A dog attacked Tamiya," sobbed Milly. "Eva found a dog with a broken leg and took it to Mr. Delmas. When Tamiya and I were leaving, another dog came and attacked her. I think she's dead!"

Eva was searching Jim's room for something she could use as a weapon. Her pocketknife wasn't going to do anything to that dog possessed by XANA. She slammed the closet shut and glanced out the window.

"Oh," she breathed.

There were more dogs outside surrounding the dorm. XANA was determined to catch them all this time. Eva looked at the clock. It read 12:45. The others would have already left to meet Yumi by now.

"Jim, is there anything I can use as a weapon?" asked Eva. "A bat, a golf club, a hammer?"

"No," replied Jim. "Why?"

They heard banging down the hall. The dog was throwing its weight against the door to open it. There was no way that Eva would be able to get to the factory if the dogs got in.

With a growl, Eva pulled out her mobile.

Meanwhile, the others were walking down the street to the ice cream shop.

"We should do something for Eva," said Aelita. "She doesn't have any decorations in her room. It's a little sad."

"What were you thinking?" asked Odd.

"Maybe framing some of your artwork and giving it to her," suggested Aelita. "A poster for the wall would liven things up. It just seems so empty."

Jeremy's mobile began ringing. "Hello?" Jeremy answered.

"We got a problem," said Eva. "XANA has a pack of dogs running wild on campus. Please tell me you are in town."

"We are," said Jeremy. "We're on our way."

"Hurry," said Eva. "Milly said that Tamiya was attacked by those dogs and it's a possibility that she's dead."

"Where are you right now?" asked Jeremy.

"Locked in Jim's room with Jim and Milly," replied Eva. "I think I might be able to get out and get to Tamiya. I doubt I'll make it to the factory."

"Consider us there," said Jeremy and he hung up.

Eva shoved her mobile in her pocket and continued to look for something that she could use. She had a pillow, Jim's dirty laundry, his overpowering cologne — Cologne! If that stuff could make a student choke, it would do a number on a dog's nose. And since XANA turned the dogs into super dogs, their sense of smell would be heightened. So would their hearing! Eva remembered that she had a bumblebee ringtone. That was just as good as a dog whistle.

Eva took the bottle of cologne from Jim's shelf and pulled her mobile out again.

"What are you doing?" asked Jim.

"Hopefully try to save Tamiya," said Eva. She turned to Milly. "She's by the principal's office, right?"

"Yes," sniffed Milly.

"Good," said Eva. "Once I leave, lock the door."

"Eva, wait!" Jim yelled, but Eva was already out the door.

The others made it to the factory.

"An activated tower in the ice sector," Jeremy told them as they prepared to be transferred. "We need to hurry. I think Eva's going to do something extremely stupid."

"Knowing Eva, she probably will," Kayla said.

They appeared in LYOKO and hopped on their awaiting vehicles.

"Let's go," said Ulrich, revving the bike's engine.

At the same time, Eva was searching for Tamiya. She had managed to sneak passed a few dogs and was now running for the principal's office. Tamiya was right where Milly said she was. Her clothes were ripped and bloody, but Eva could see that she was still breathing.

"Hang in there, Tamiya," said Eva, picking up the younger student. "I got you."

"What's going on out here?"

Eva could have sworn like a sailor. Sissi had the worst possible timing. Eva dashed around the corner carrying Tamiya. Sissi stared at them.

"Get in the building," Eva commanded. "Come on, Sissi!"

"What?" Sissi asked, trying to understand what was going on.

There was a series of loud barks followed by low growls. They turned to see the dogs closing in around.

"Go!" shouted Eva.

They ran into the building and into Mr. Delmas' office. The office was empty except for the dog that Eva had rescued earlier. He looked up from his place in the corner of the room.

"Clear the desk," Eva told Sissi.

Sissi moved everything and Eva put Tamiya down.

"Is she going to be all right?" asked Sissi in a quivering voice.

"I don't know," said Eva. She tossed her mobile to her. "Call the number labeled 'Factory'."

Sissi pulled up the factory information and pressed 'call'.

"Eva, how are things on your end," Jeremy's voice came.

"Jeremy?"

"Sissi?" Jeremy went pale.

"Put it on speaker," said Eva, taking off her shirt.

Sissi put the mobile on speaker.

"I'm here, Jeremy," said Eva, grabbing a pair of scissors.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's not so good," said Eva, cutting up her shirt. "Tamiya's alive, for now. I left Jim and Milly in Jim's room. Right now I'm in the principal's office with Sissi doing what I can to help Tamiya." Eva growled in frustration. "I feel so useless right now!"

"Do what you can," said Jeremy. "The others are almost at the tower."

Jeremy hung up.

"How are things there?" Yumi asked.

"Not so good," replied Jeremy. "We don't have much time."

The five of them raced for the tower. There was company waiting for them: four tarantulas.

"Four of them, five of us," said Odd. "This shouldn't be too hard."

"Kayla and Aelita, let the others clear a path for you," said Jeremy.

"Okay," said Kayla.

Kayla and Aelita got off and searched for cover. The others attacked.

"Once there is an opening, I'll head for the tower," said Aelita.

"Ladies," greeted a demonic voice.

They turned to find William and the Scyphozoa. Kayla grabbed her mace and swung. William blocked and slammed his foot into Kayla's stomach, sending her sliding across the ice, away from Aelita.

"Help!" screamed Aelita, trying to stay out of the Scyphozoa's reach.

Kayla looked in dismay in Aelita's direction. William took that moment to attempt to cut Kayla in half. Kayla raised her mace, blocked, and gave her hardest swing. The mace smashed William's sword, stunning him. He quickly retreated only to have the morning star slam into his chest. William disappeared into smoke.

At the same time, a small XANA-fied dog came flying through the window. Sissi screamed and Eva went for the bottle of cologne.

There was a growl and the dog Eva rescued ran into the small dog. They fought for a moment, the small dog biting the rescued dog. He yelped and grabbed the small dog by the neck and hurled it across the room. Eva ran up to it and kicked the XANA-fied dog hard, sending it out the window it came in.

The rescued dog whimpered in pain. He hobbled over to Eva and licked her hand.

"Good boy," she said. Eva looked out the broken window and watched the dogs begin to stalk them. "Hurry," she whispered.

"Aelita! No!" yelled Jeremy.

Kayla saw Aelita being lifted into the air by the Scyphozoa.

"No," whispered Kayla. "No. No. No!"

Aelita and Kayla disappeared and reappeared in the other's place. Now the Scyphozoa was holding Kayla. With its tentacles at Kayla's head and red energy pulsating through them, the Scyphozoa tried to implant a control code into Kayla. Instead, it received a powerful jolt of energy, causing it to drop Kayla. It squealed in pain and quickly retreated.

"What the?" Ulrich started to say, but was cut short when the tarantula shot him.

Kayla began swinging her morning star so all that they could see what a gold disk. Kayla swung hard and the chain extended to hit the tarantula closest to her.

Yumi threw her fans and they sliced the mark on her tarantula's head. Odd shot his and Aelita fired an energy field at the last one.

"Go!" commanded Yumi.

Aelita ran into the tower.

More dogs came in through the window. Sissi grabbed the lamp from the desk to use as a weapon and stood in front of Tamiya. Eva got in front of Sissi and the rescued dog growled menacingly.

Aelita reached the top of the tower.

The dogs lunged at Eva. She braced herself for the pain.

Aelita put her hand on the screen, entering the code.

The dogs stopped in midair.

"Huh?" Eva murmured in disbelief.

"Tower deactivated," said Aelita.

The tower went dark and a light began to rise from the base.

Jeremy hit the enter key. "Return to the past now."

Eva opened her eyes. It was morning! Had she passed out? She sat up to find that her room looked different. There were framed photos of her friends sitting on her desk, along with a gift basket full of lotions and soaps. Her laptop had a different screen saver: the LYOKO symbol in navy blue. The chair now sported black cushions and a blue throw.

"What on Earth?" she said.

The door opened and her friends walked in.

"What do you think?" asked Odd.

"What—huh?" Eva managed to say.

"We did it while you were still asleep," said Kayla. "You told us that you took your medicine last night."

"Last night?" asked Eva. "I took it Saturday night. Today's Monday! We're going to be late."

"No, we're not," said Jeremy. "I used the return-to-the-past program after the tower was deactivated. Today's Sunday, Eva."

"If we came back in time, that means . . . " Eva said.

"Tamiya's fine," said Aelita. "I just saw her in the showers. There's not a mark on her. It never happened so she wouldn't."

"In that case." Eva got up. "There's something I need to do."

Eva hurried to the place where she met the dog. He was sitting under the brush.

"Here, boy," Eva called, squatting down and holding out her hand. "It's okay, come here."

The dog limped out of the brush and sniffed her hand. Eva scratched him behind the ears.

"Is that a dog?" Eva heard Milly say.

Eva turned to see Milly and Tamiya cautiously walking up to them.

"Yes, he is," replied Eva. Eva picked him up. "Let's tell Mr. Delmas that he needs a good home."

"Come in," Mr. Delmas said when someone knocked on his door.

Milly opened the door for Eva and she brought the dog in.

"Excuse me, sir," Eva said. "But you wouldn't happen to have the number of the local veterinarian on hand, would you?"

"This would make a great story," said Milly. "Student Rescues Stray Dog. What do you think, Eva?"

"I like it," Eva said with a nod of her head.

Mr. Delmas called the vet to pick up the dog. When the van pulled up to the school to take the dog, the LYOKO warriors were waiting for him.

"What's going to happen to him?" Eva asked.

"If no one claims him, he'll be put up for adoption," said the vet.

Eva's shoulders sagged slightly.

"I'll take him."

Eva turned to Kayla. She had a big smile on her face. Kayla reached out and petted the dog. He licked her hand.

"Your parents wouldn't mind?" Eva asked.

"They've been talking about getting a dog for almost a year now," said Kayla as the vet put the dog in the back of the van. "Plus, after what you've been through with that dog, I can't just do nothing."

"Thanks, Kayla," said Eva.

The vet came around to them. "Since we don't know who his owner is, if he has an owner, what do you want the name to be on his records?"

Everyone turned to Eva.

"You should name him," said Ulrich.

"After all, you did find him," said Yumi.

Eva looked at Kayla and Kayla nodded. After a moment, Eva replied, "Bon Ami."

"All right," said the vet and he got in his van.

"Bon Ami?" asked Kayla.

"I thought it was fitting," said Eva.

"'Good Friend'," said Odd, nodding in agreement. "I like it."

"Well, that dog's been a good friend," said Eva. "If it wasn't for Bon Ami, I probably would be dead."

"Everyone needs someone to watch out for them," said Ulrich. "A good friend."

"Yeah." Eva smiled faintly. "And I have six of the best friends I could ever ask for."


End file.
